Anticreeping guard-rail clamp



April 22 1924. 1,491,187

W. BENDER ET AL EP GUARD RAIL CLAMP File Jan. 27.1923

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Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,491,187 PATENT oF'FlcE.

WILLIAM BENDEB, OF DOWNERS GROVE, AND PAUL HOFFMAN, F WESTERN SPRINGS,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO RAKAPO AJAX CORPORATION, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A

CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

ANTICBEEPIN G GUARD-RAIL CLAMP.

Application illed January 27, 1923. Serial No. $15,212.

To all-'whom z't may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM BENDER, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Downers Grove, county of Du Page,'State of Illinois, andPAUL HOFFMAN', a citlzen of the United States, andresident of WesternvSprings, .county of Gook, State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful 4Imrovements in Anticreeping Guard-Rail lamps, of which thefollowing isa specilication.

This invention relates -to improvements in lard rail clamps for holdin amain or tra c rail and a guard rail in adgustedposition relative to eachother, and relates articularly to an improved structure w ich willreslst great pressures without distortion anti-creeping and which willalso act as an device. The invention more specially relates to a guardrail clamp for track railsthat will possess the necessary rigidity andstren th to resist the strains imposed by traic, ut which will permit acertain limited adjustment to the wave motion of the track without anyof the parts of the clamp structure becoming loose or displaced withrespect to each other.

The invention vfurther relates to a construction in which the parts maybe aligned andassembled with a minimum amount of machine work upon theparts to iit them to ther;

arious other ,features will be in part obvious from an ins tion of theaccompanying drawings kand 1n part will be more lly set forth inthefollowing particular description of one form offmechanism embodying theinvention, and the in- Vention also consists in certain Ynew and novelelements of construction and combinav tion of claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fi re 1 is a plan view of our improved guar rail clamp in its adjustedosition;

Figure' 2 is a side elevation of t e same, showmg the rails in section;

Figure 3 `is a detail view showing a section through the clam plate; and

Fi e 4 is a deta' section on line 4-4 ofF1gure2. r

In the particular embodiment ofthe invention' 'shown in the accompanyingdrawof A the? invention parts hereinafter set forth andv is providedwith an in ings, the clamp plate 1 is provided with a 55. central recessor seating s ce for the track ra1l 2 and the guard rai 3, 'and partiallyencloses the same. The entire periphery of the clamp plate isgoutlinedby a fillet of reinforcing metal 4. This reinforcement is a preciablythicker around the periphery of t e recess lthan around the outerperiphery ,of the plate. The ends of the recess provide uprightabutments 5 and 6,'and this reinforclng metal at the bottom of therecess forms a sup orting head 7. The bottom of the clamp p ate ip alsoii'ared or tapered outwardly, approximately 'in the mlddle line of thelate beneath the recess, as at 8, so' as to glve the plate its maximumwidth at this point. l The track rail and the guard rail, instead ofresting directly upon the su portmg head provided at the bottom of t erecess, are supported upon a bead or projection which extends lengthwiseofthis supportinghead, and provides a narrow bearing 9 for the bases ofthe rails, making substantiall a line contact therewith. Av similarbeady or projection 9*, preferably a continuation of the bearingv 9 1sprovided centrally of the abutment 5. The face ofLthis abutment isonpositely tapered as at 10 from the line of t e bead or projection,forming approximately a- V-face. The opposite abutment 6 is planed ormachined so as to provide a dat or squared bearing face. Both of theseabutments may be inclined in the usual manner, and preferably thethickest portion of the llet of reinforcing metal is at the corners ofthe abutments. I

A s acing block 11 is rovided between one o the rails and the a utment5, and is formed with an oppositely tapered recess 12 to seat theabutment, and is also formed 05 with a groove 14 centrally thereof toreceive f and interlock with the projection 9a that is formed. on saidabutment. A spacing block 15 is likewise provided between the other railand the abutment 6. This block is preferably wedge shaped longitudinallso itl can be driven home against the slopi face of the abutment 6 andforce the parts of the structure together. Preferably this block al flan16 which passes through a slot 1n the a utment. After the wedge blockhas been driven in position any well-known or conventional means, such@as the cotter pin 17, may be employed to .hold the wedge block inposition. The rails are 'spacedv from each other by adjustable fillerblocks 18, which may be serrated along a diagonal line, whereby suitableadjustment of these blocks may be effected. Suitable ard ins 19 may beformed integral witlthe ii ler blocks, which rest on opposite sides ofthe elampplate and hold the filler blocks from displacement.

By means of this construction the bases of the track rails seat upon arelatively narrow bearing, which will permiti a limited tilting orswinging movement of the clamp plate with reference to the rail baseswithout longitudinal movement of the clamp relative to the rails. Thisallows for a certain amount ofmovement of the track or wave motion ofthe road-bed without disturbing the relative position of the clampstructure. Consequently there is little or no shifting of the parts ofthe clamp with -respect to each other or with respect to the rails, andconsequently the shape of the clamp plate causes the same to operate asan anti-creeping device for the track rails by abutting the ties. The

engagement of the tapered abutment in the beveled recess permits someslight play without in any degree impairingl the strength and rigidityof the structure to resist the thrust of t-raic. At the same time thisarrangement will hold this spacing block against displacement, eventhough the projecting edges thereof which form lugs or ears embracingthe abutment and ordinarily would assist in holding the block in place.should be broken through an accidental blow or in any other manner. Thisarrangement of the parts, together with the placing of the reinforcingfillet around the periphery of the plate, provides a very strongconstruction thatwill resist the most extreme pressures to which it issubjected in operation without distortion or without displacement of theparts.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a guard rail clamp for a traffic rail and a guard rail, thecombination of a clamp plate provided with abutments to receive the sidethrust from the rails and having a bearing for the bases of said rails,said caring comprising a projection integral with the clamp plateextending lengthwise of the supporting portion of the plate andtransversely of the rails thereby to permit a limited til-ting movementof the plate without changing the line of contact of said bearmg, andmeans for holding said rails in engagement with said bearing.

2. In a guard rail clamp, the combination of a clamp plate provided witha sup crtlng head for the main' rail and guarl rail and with uprightabutments to receive the side thrust from thel rails, a relativelynarrow projection extending lengthwise of the supporting head to form abearing for the rails and extending across one of said abutments, andspacing blocks between said rails and the abutments, one of said blocksbeing provided with a groove to receive the projection formed on one ofthe abutments.

3. In a guard rail clamp, the combination of a clamp plate provided witha supporting head for the main rail and guard rail and with uprightabutments, a relatively narrow projection extending lengthwise of thesupportinghead to form a bearing for the rails and extending across oneof said abutments, spacing blocks between said rails and the abutments,one of said blocks being provided with a groove to receive theprojection formed on one of the abutments, and the other abutment havinga squared face to engage with a wedge surface on the other block, andmeans to hold said rails and blocks in adjusted position.

4. An anti-creeping guard rail clamp for a guard rail and traiic rail,comprising a clamp plate provided with upright abutments and having arelatively narrow bearing for the rails between the abutments permittinga tilting movement with relation to the rails, spacing blocks betweensaid rails and abutments, and means to hold said rails and blocks inadjusted position.

5. An-anti-ereeping guard rail clamp for a guard rail and a traic rail,comprising a clamp plate provided with upright abutments and having arelatively narrow bearing for the rails between the abutments, spacingblocks between said rails and abutments, one of said abutments having atapered face to engage in a corresponding recess p-rovided in one ofsaid blocks, and means to hold said rails and blocks in adjustedposition.

6. An anti-creeping guard rail clamp to leo miv

hold the guard rail and traffic rail in spaced relation, comprising aclamp plate provided with upright abutments and aving a rela.- tivelynarrow bearing for the rails between `the abutments, and spacing blocksbetween 'spacing blocks between said rails and abutments, one of Asaidabutments having a projecting bead extending up the face of the same toengage in an .interlocking recess provided in one of said blocks and theother abutment having asquared to en l'e with a wedge surface on theother boc and means to hold wid plate and rails in adjusted position.

8. An anticreeping guard rail clamp to hold the guard rail and tratlicrail in spaced relation, comprising a clamp late rovided with abutmentsto receivet e si e thrust from the rails and having a relatively narrowbearing for the rails between the abutments, spacing blocks between saidrails and abutments, one of said vabutments having a projection tointerlock with one of the spacing blocks, and means to hold said railsand blocks in adjusted position.

9. In an anti-creepin guard rail clamp for track rails, the com inationof a clamp plate having a recess therein to receive the main rail andthe ard r il the ri e "of said clamp lategbxeing outined y fllig;

of metal, sai fillet being thicker around the border of the recess,- theends of said recess comprising abutments to 'receive the side'thrustfrom said rails, and the bottom of said plate being'ta red outwardly toprovide a maximum wi th of the plate adjacent the middle line thereof,and means for securing the clam plate to said rails and spacing therails erein.

10. In an anti-creeping guard rail clamp for track rails, thecombination of a clamp having a recess therein to receive the main railand the guard rail, the periphery of said clamp plate being outlined bya 'fillet of metal, said fillet being thicker around the tborde` tlllirecess. anldformi a supi por -in e ving a eetion integra therewith tocontact with) tlie bases of said rails, the ends of said recess comrising abutments and the bottoni of said te being tapered outwardly toprovide a maximum width of the plate adjacent the middle line thereof,and means for securing the clamp plate to saidrails.

11. Inan anti-creeping guard rail clamp vfor track rails, thecombination of a claip havy plate having a recess therein 'to receivethe main rail and the guard rail, the geriphery of said clamp platebeing outlined y a fillet of metal, said fillet being thicker around theborder of the recess and forming a supporting head having a i'ojlectionintegral therewith to contact wit t e bases of said rails, the ends ofsaid recess comprising abutments to receive the side thrust from saidrails, one of said abutments having a 'cen'-V tral. rojection' and beingoppositely 'ta- Ke therefrom and the other abutment aving a tlatsurface, a spacing blockv provided with a beveled recess and a'groove toreceive Said projection onone abutment, and a spacin block having awedge surface to said plate being tapered outwardly to provide a maximumwidth of the plate adjacent the middle line thereof.

Si ed at Chicago, in the county of Cook and of Illinois, this 22nd dayof January, A. D. 1923.

WILLIAM BENDER.

PAUL HOFFMAN.

engage t e other abutment, the bottom of

